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Summary: Beowulf: The Necessity for Good
Review: Good must triumph over evil, often against impossible odds, because Good is the necessary social glue holding back the blackness of Anarchy. This is what the epic poem Beowulf is all about. While the term 'good' is actually culturally defined, it has certain characteristics common to all societies: the prevention of wanton cruelty among its members; some concept of honour; and a system of justice--no matter how a particular civilization chooses to enforce that justice. In the Dark Ages, Beowulf's civilization strongly emphasized a social order based upon the group, in which an individual's needs were outweighed by those of the common weal. Heroes and leaders, chosen largely for their lineage--and thought to represent the best of that culture's values of courage and honour--were seen as the symbol holding the society together, its cultural cohesion. Other ideologies included strong beliefs in fate, luck, the supernatural, and the importance of symbolism: "Boar images shone over cheek-guards gold adorned, gleaming and fire-hardened--the war-minded boar held guard over fierce men". A hero, then, was defined as one who could alone withstand any threat to his people while unafraid to test fate: "Fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good". The hero was able to go bravely forth and face death without regard for his own safety. He had to have personal principles matching those of his civilization in both "words and works". Such was Beowulf. His society viewed all this as good and right; he had widespread public approval and was considered the epitome of Good. By definition Evil is the opposite of Good. Evil represented the outsider, the monster. A monster was the ultimate outlaw, a "fosterer of crimes", one to whom bloodshed and chaos were the norm. Inimical to society by being a selfish-minded individual outside of the social order, neither heeding nor obeying that order's dictates, the monster was viewed with fear and loathing; it represented a constant threat to the tribe's safety and solidarity. Such were Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. These two exaggerations of the archetypal Good and Evil--Beowulf and Grendel (for example)--must obviously be joined in battle. If Grendel wins, all is lost. Should Beowulf emerge victorious, not only are his people's fears vanquished, but glory is gained for them by the reaffirmation of the righteousness of their values, their shared experiences as a single entity. But the monsters, whether biblical Goliath or real-life Hitler-- often have greater power on their side. Evil appears to be stronger. Perhaps this is because humanity's dark side, the apocalyptic Dionysus of man's essentially dual nature, is constantly threatening to overcome his Apollo, or orderly side. What is held deep within: temptation, rage, and chaos, often seem about to burst out, ending in the dissipation of society in any form. In short, Anarchy. The "creature deprived of joy" revels in murderous abandon, unscrupulously plundering in a manner civilization could never condone. The monster utilizes dark resources that the forces of Good cannot, taking advantage of both his own and his allies' uglier side. Should Good win, however, Man is reassured that he has mastered his evil half. Society can proceed unmolested, for now. Thus does Beowulf appear initially overwhelmed by Grendel's bloated power. But "the man of the War-Geats did not shrink from the fight". By gaining victory against impossible odds, Beowulf proves his society right, strengthening its convictions. This theme has been widely adapted in literature and film: Tolkien's Frodo Baggins overcomes Lord Sauron; Lucas's Luke Skywalker defeats Darth Vader. Even when Beowulf is later killed by the dragon, he is ready to die, a man whose "mind was mournful, restless and ripe for death". This leaves Beowulf's former heroics undiminished. When Wiglaf--presumably Beowulf's successor--slays the dragon, he embodies all the same cultural values that Beowulf had done. Again, Good triumphs. In saving the day, Beowulf has done better than if there had been no battles at all by teaching that society's Good can overthrow its Bad. This is perhaps a naive assertion when viewed from the 'lofty' heights of modern secular individualism. But in Beowulf's time, and in the time the poem was written, the common folk were superstitious and illiterate. An epic poem like Beowulf, sung around mead-halls and roaring fires, doubtless provided a real-life lesson in hope and faith, gluing together a crowd that desperately needed cultural cohesion for their very survival. Without such a belief in the possibility of victory over Evil, society would ultimately fall and blackness would cloak the land in terror and ruin. Good is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
Rating:
Summary: Very accessible
Review: The W.W. Norton company did itself, and us, a favor when it comissioned Seamus Heaney to translate the English epic "Beowulf". Heaney provides the reader with a clear translation that I imagine would make many forget about any unpleasant experiences they might have had with the poem years ago. Heaney's translation is, perhaps, not the most literal or "Anglo-Saxon" translation on the market but that is more a product of his targeting the general public as his readership rather than those in academia. This dual-language edition proves useful to those amateur (or professional) medievalists who want to try their hand at improving upon Heaney's work here. I for one have marked up my copy with numerous notes and possible alternate translations for sections. It makes for an exciting and different read each time and challenges the reader to engage with the poem in ways they might not otherwise.
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Summary: Read this book.
Review: This translation was riveting. Do not pass up this book. I went...dragging my feet...into this book. I remembered the dry Beowulf of high school, and yet, enough good reviews of the Heaney translation passed within ear-shot and eye-shot to make me curious. I was consumed until the final word was read.
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Summary: New Flavor?
Review: Beowulf is a classic, a story of heroic wanderlust. It is no surprise that Heaney took this piece of loric lit under his wing. Heaney's version is very easy to read compared to similar texts and has the old english on alternating pages for a nice juxtaposition of archaic v nuevo. Heaney adds his signature on this work and at the same time diminishes nothing of the original story, but broadens its audience. The beauty of Heaney cannot be ignored, and as we live in a world that Hemmingway said describes the sea as 'El mar,'the combination of old and new makes for a bridge connecting what is and what was into a spectacular version that emboldens heroism.
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Summary: A translation worthy of the epic itself
Review: I have tried reading "Beowulf" four times before, each time with a different translation, but couldn't get past 40 pages on account of boredom. The sentenses dragged on and on, causing the story to appear monotonous and tedious, and the slowly-unfolding events in it - even slower. When the new verse translation by Seamus Heaney came out, I decided to give the book one last chance... and I was not disappointed! Compared with previous editions of "Beowulf", this one was a breath of fresh wind. Not only was Heaney's verse clear, smooth, and flowing, but it redeemed the story from the dull and the obvious and returned it its epic form. The preachy "beholds", "yeas", and "los", that the previous translators seemed to favor, are gone at last, yielding their places to the modern, dynamic words. This edition is bi-lingual, with the original Anglo-Saxon verse of the text printed opposite of Heaney's. This added to my enjoyment of the epic, and served as a constant reminder of its antiquity - for it is almost 1200 years old. But despite of its age, "Beowulf" looks surprisingly modern. Even though there are no dragons to battle with nowadays, there are even more terrible phantoms lurking inside of us, needing to be fought and defeated.
Rating: 
Summary: not quite the idiom of the poem
Review: To be brief: I taught the opening verses of Beowulf in Anglo Saxon, offering the students (undergrads, senior level) 4 translations, including Heaney and E. T. Donaldson. The prose trans. of Donaldson, in both sound and sense, is far superior to that of Heaney, which is often too discursive, making logical, even "talky" sentences out of the stately, rigid AS half-lines. His vocabulary and idiom are often from left field, totally unrelated to the actual text of the poem. It reads fluidly and logically and should not be dismissed, but it is not the best version for those reading the poem for the first, dare I say only, time. The lesson here? E. Talbot Donaldson was nobody's fool. The scholar defeats the poet in the game of translation.
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Summary: A cultural timecapsul
Review: Beowulf offered a look at the time and life of the Angles and Saxons. Both their habbits and culture is shown in a large amount of feasting, celebrating and fighting. A story of a man who comes to a new land only known by his fathers name he must proove himself a warrior to a new land by having battles with several supernateral creatures. Traveling all over the earth to find them Beowulf shows no weakness of his own as he tears every monster that he wishes to conquor. Only the weapon of age is ever able to weaken him as fights to kill whatever it be. Along with this the reader gets a sense of the importance of honor, leadership and heroism in thi time period. With lavish feasts Beowulf is rewarded for being a man of supernateral strengths himself and saveing a town from the clutches of the monster Grendel. But once the problem seems to be evaded Grendel's mother shows up with a rengence to avenge her son. Once again Beowulf must proove himself to the people that have trusted him so much. As a culteral reference it is a good book. But as just a reading book its faults become ever more apparent. With a good amount of preparations for battle, introductions of poeple and parties it does show how the culture worked but not making it interesting per say. But this does not mean that a person who likes historical fiction will not like it, on the contrary this may be your book. I think one reason why i only thought the book was OK was Beowulf's perfect character that allows him to achieve superhuman feats. This is of course an example of presentism but none the less i could not get over that.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, but it is still removed from our time
Review: I dithered and dickered about writing a review for Beowulf and in the end I rating I gave it was not so much for the book, but more of a level of my interest in it. It really is a grand story and translated in the full heroic style. Seamus Heaney does a phenomenal job in making it come alive, but for me well I just couldn't rouse as much interest as I thought I should have for such a fine effort, perhaps I am too steeped in modern writing style where prose feels much more comfortable. I tried both listening to Beowulf on tape and reading it myself, and in the end I think I prefered to read it myself. The emphasis on certain words and passages could then be mine. The poem is restricted by the metre which at times made it feel almost like a child's story, not that I minded this - it kept the poem strangely beautiful. For those that don't know it is the story of a Scandanavian hero, Beowulf, who performs three heroic deeds in his life - killing the monster Grendel, killing Grendel's mother and then much later killing a dragon, and while I hope I am not spoiling anyone's pleasure here by revealing the plot - Beowulf does die in the end and there is a large funeral. I really enjoyed Heaney's succinct but good introduction to the poem's history and the structure at the beginning of the book and that was helpful in reading the poem itself. There are even family trees to follow who begat whom. Definitely worth reading.
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Summary: Get the book AND the CD!
Review: Heaney is a master poet as well as a master storyteller. His translation is by far the best I've ever read. I remembered the dry version in a college anthology, and wasn't too excited to buy the book, but my husband wanted it and I liked the idea of the side-by-side original and translation. Then I gave him the CD for Christmas. The entire story came alive, in all its ancient glory. Heaney's flair for alliteration is a pleasure to listen to, and the pictures he paints with his choice of words are both accessible and haunting. It is a wonderful look into a society that so valued warfare and the glory of a good fight. Even those who normally have little interest in literature will love this.
Rating:
Summary: The CD is even better
Review: My career is as far removed from classical literature as you can get, but boy do I love epic poems. I've read multiple versions of Beowulf (including 2 comic adaptations), and Heaney's version is by far the most accessible. The man has a true command of English, and he manages to present the poem in more straightforward language without a feeling of talking down to the reader. That said, if you want a real treat, check out the audio version of Beowulf. Heaney's translation is good enough on page, but to hear him read it is marvelous. It makes you feel like you're sitting around a campfire, listening to an elder spin some wild yarn. Be warned, however: even though this Amazon page says "UNABRIDGED", the audio versions are really unabridged SELECTIONS. You don't get the full text of the poem, but you get the necessary parts - enough to make it enjoyable.
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